Method

In a blender blend the onions, chilies and garlic till fine. In a pot/pan add 3 tablespoons oil first and heat on moderate heat. When hot add the whole cumin seeds and stir for roughly 30 seconds. Now add the blend mix and fry the mixture on medium to low heat for approximately 10 minutes till golden brown if needed add the remainder oil while frying this mixture. Now add the cumin powder and lamb chunks and cook stirring for roughly 3 to 5 more minutes. Add the water, salt and pepper bring to boil cover and simmer for 30 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the quality of meat used. If fillet of lamb is used it will not require much cooking time and if lamb with bones in tact like chops is used then it should be cut up into chunks and use the cooking time as described here.

Once 30 minutes are up then add the potatoes, cover and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes till the potatoes are cooked and the cumin flavours have developed fully. Finally add the yogurt and stir and serve over a bed of rice or with naan bread accompanied with yogurt raita if preferred when served this way it should serve 4 servings.

Variations and Suggestions

For this recipe I actually used lamb chops and added the bones together with the meat so that flavour of the bones could enhance the dish further which it did. As mentioned, use lamb fillets if preferred or when expense is not an issue and time is of the essence. Rule of thumb is; if cheaper cuts of meat are used the longer the cooking time will be, but all curries develop their flavour better when simmered for a long time. You may not believe it if I told you that ‘less is more’ in this case, only one ground spice delivered so much flavour to this dish and I am sure that when you try it you’ll agree too. If you prefer toss a teaspoon of whole cumin seeds in a pan for a minutes on low to medium heat to dry fry and to roast them before sprinkling on top of each serve. The nutty flavour and texture along with the aroma of cumin is divine.